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Circumcision

Up until the mid 20
th
century, most baby boys were circumcised. However, over the last 50 years, the trend has reversed and now, fewer than ten percent of all baby boys in Australia are routinely circumcised. There are several reasons both for, and against, circumcision. Ultimately, it is the decision of the parents whether or not to have their child circumcised.

Most circumcisions are performed within a day or two after birth. The child's arms and legs are restrained, and an anaesthetic cream or injection is used to numb the area around the foreskin. A doctor places a special clamp around the penis and removes the foreskin. The procedure takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.

After circumcision, your baby might be a bit fussy. He might cry when he pees in his nappy because the urine may irritate his penis. Make sure to keep the penis clean and dry. Try dabbing on a little petroleum jelly after each nappy change to keep urine from stinging the area and to keep the penis from sticking to the nappy.

A bit of bleeding and a yellowish crust around the penis is normal. The circumcision site should heal completely within a week to ten days. You should avoid giving pain relievers to infants. If your child becomes irritated by the circumcision, pick him up and comfort him, being sure to avoid putting pressure on his penis. He'll soon feel much better.

Circumcision in older boys

Sometimes, an older boy will need to be circumcised for medical reasons. Although the procedure is the same, bleeding and other complications may be more likely, so the procedure is most often performed using general anaesthesia.

For several days after the surgery, check your child's penis for signs of infection such as a lot of redness, swelling, or fluid. Call your doctor if signs of infection, including fever, are present.